Redemption
by sadquotegirl
Summary: It's only the beginning of Junior High School for the party, and Mike has already fallen asleep in class! Mike had never had a crush on a girl before, they weren't really interesting, until he meets Jane Hopper
1. The Girl Next Door

Mike Wheeler was at his locker, casually getting his notes that he needed for English. It's only the third day of Junior year in high school, and he's already fallen asleep in class twice. He's not in the best mood this week, considering the fact that his parents got divorced due to a little drunk mistake his father generated. Now, the the Wheeler's aren't your perfect family. Ted Wheeler had been kicked out of the house, only three residents there; Mike, his sister Nancy, and his mother. He wishes things would go back to normal, but he's aware that it won't be the same.

"Hey Mike"

He looked towards his right, only to be approached by Dustin and Will, since Lucas was on vacation at Havana. Boy, Mike wishes he could get out of Hawkins and travel the world, but his life was too busy for anymore troubles. Dustin still had his frizzy hair, and always wore that hat of his. He's punched a little growth spurt over the summer, and his body seemed to be more slimmer than last year. Will, however, hasn't grown, not even an inch yet. He's always been the shortest boy in any of his classes, rising to only 5'2. He watched his friends as they approached his locker.

"Hey Dustin, hey Will" Mike scrambled to get all his materials needed for English. "What's up?"

"Not much, Dustin here tried to ask out Nikki" Will exclaimed.

Mike's eyes grew wider. "Really? Guessing it did not go so well?"

"What makes you say that?! Of course she said yes" Dustin confessed, attempting to wear an attractive smile. Will and Mike looked at each other, unimpressed. "What? Alright she said no"

"Thought so" Mike joked.

"You're saying I'm not dateable?!" Dustin gasped.

Mike shook his head. "It's not that you're not dateable, but a girl like Nikki wouldn't go out with you"

"He's right. How much girlfriend's have you had, Dustin?" Will asked.

"Well, there was Brittany in second grade. She said yes, but ran away crying after she got a scent of my breath, and Stacy in fifth grade considered it until Liam jerk came and swooped her off her feet to the dance. Oh and-"

"Alright, Dustin. We get it. But hey, don't worry buddy. You'll get a girl soon. It's not about how many girlfriend's you've had, but about which one lasted the longest" Mike marveled.

"Thanks man. Hope you get one too" Dustin went in to give Mike a bro hug. "You too, Will"

"Hate to break it to you, but Mike's never even had a crush on a girl before" Will mentioned.

"Whatever" Said Mike. The bell rang, ushering the students to go to their first period class. "I guess I'll see you guys later"

"Alright, bye Mike" Dustin responded.

"See you at lunch Mike. Oh, and make sure to bring your stuff with you 'cause we're not staying there long" Will mentioned.

Mike made his way to English, room 203, when he felt a sudden force pushed against the side of his left arm. He looked towards his right to see a girl on the floor with books scattered along. She looked towards him and instantly rose on her feet.

"I-, am, so, so-sorry. I didn't mean-, I just-" The girl stuttered over her words.

"Hey" Mike placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, thinking it was a wrong move. With embarrassment, he immediately removed his hand off her shoulder. "It's alright"

She knelled to the ground to pick up her books. Mike mirrored her move to help her. They got up and he handed her the books in his hands.

"You really didn't have to-" The girl chatted.

"No, don't worry. It's alright" Mike gazed into the girl's eyes. She had beautiful brown eyes that sparkled. She was wearing skinny, baby blue jeans, and an oversize sweater that worded out the words "Fake" in bold and "Love" in cursive. She was also wearing black All-Star converse. They gazed into each other's eyes for what seemed to be longer than normal for a stranger. Mike snapped out of the gaze, realizing how long he'd been staring into her eyes. "I'm Mike by the way. Mike Wheeler" Mike let out an awkward hand for the girl to shake.

With a little struggle considering the amount of books she was holding, She took his hand and shook it. Her lotion was scented. It smelt like rosemary and lemons. Her skin was pretty soft. "Jane. Jane Hopper"

' _The chief's daughter'_ Mike thought.

He nervously let go of her hand, and slipped his hand into his pocket, fidgeting. He looked down at the floor to avoid any more eye contact.

"Where are you heading?" Jane asked.

"Oh, um-, to English class" Mike murmured. He looked up to find her still staring at him. Their eyes locked. Jane looked around the hall to break eye contact. She noticed that there aren't any students around the hall anymore but her and Mike.

"Oh, same here. Walk with me?" She asked gracefully.

Mike's stomach turned. "Oh, um, of c-, I mean, sure" He gave her a quick smile and looked down, hopping that she didn't see him blush. The duo walked to their class, just in time for the bell ring. All the spots were taken, except for two empty ones, one behind the other. Jane sat in the desk closest to the front, the one in the second row, Mike followed and sat behind her.

"Hey, class. How's everyone feeling?" Mr. Brown chuckled.

"Good" the class groaned.

"Now, turn your textbooks to page 394"

The class takes out their English textbooks from their bags and start flipping through the pages. Brendon, a British boy in Mike's English class, rose his hand.

"Yes Brendon?" Mr Brown called out.

"Are we learning about werewolves today?"

"Aha! Ten points to Gryffindor" Mr Brown joked. "Alright class, today, we're going to be reviewing a proper essay format"

As the class moved on, Mike caught himself staring at Jane a lot. Her beautiful brown locks perfectly placed among her shoulders. He wasn't familiar to the feeling she's giving him. It felt nice, but strange. It wasn't like the feeling his friends gave him. Sure, he enjoyed being around them, but what she made him feel, was beyond and different.

"Alright class. I will be assigning you all homework" Mr Brown announced. The whole class sighed in stress. "You will be assigned to write an essay about your idol. Your idol can be anything but fictional"

Half of the class "awwd" in disappointment, not wanting homework, considering it's only the first week of school.

The bell rang dismissing everyone for next class.

Mike got up and put his books in his bag. He looked up to get a quick glance of Jane before he left, but she was already gone. Mike sighed in disappointment. He knew he'll see her again soon. Hopefully.

"Michael!" Mrs. Keiry yelled.

Mike quickly rose his head up. He hadn't realized he fell asleep during math class, again. He hates it when he's called by his first name.

"That's the third time you've fell asleep in my class, Michael, unacceptable!"

"At least you don't have daddy issues" Mike murmured in annoyance.

"I beg your New York pardon?" Mrs. Keiry uttered.

"Nothing! Sorry, I was talking to myself. Carry on with the lesson"

Mrs. Keiry gave Mike a death glance. She pushed her glasses up higher and turned to the black board.

The bell rang just in time dismissing everyone for lunch.

Mike got up from his seat and put away his notebook into his bag. Will said that they won't be staying in the cafeteria for long, which kind of made Mike suspicious. He made his way down to the cafeteria, and spotted Jane sitting with the rest of her friends. She caught sight of him too, and they both locked eyes until she smiled at him. Mike's cheeks flustered red and he smiled back, breaking eye contact and looking around for his friends. Mike put his gaze at the table Will and Dustin were at. Will's eyes searched around the cafeteria for Mike, and wore a smile as he waved Mike into his direction. Mike made his way to his friends.

"Yay Mike, you're here!" Dustin beamed.

"So, are we going anywhere today?" Mike asked.

"Well kind of" Will spoke. "We're sneaking out of school for a bit"

"Oooo Will is bitchin"Dustin teased. Will rolled his eyes.

"Anyways, I was wondering around in the forest for a bit, and I kind of got lost, so I took out my compass to find my way back. However, I kind of realized that it wasn't leading me back home, but to a building. The building was holding a lot of Magnetic force, powerful enough to turn the compass arrow towards the West"

"And you want to go see what that building has that caused the compass to turn the arrow to West?" Mike asked.

Will nodded his head.

"Oooo sounds fun" Dustin exclaimed. "Only one questio-"

"-Hey, Mike"

Dustin's sentenced was interrupted by a soft voice.

Mike turned his head towards the voice. He saw Jane by his table. His eyes widened at her presence. Dustin gave Mike a little "unnoticeable" smirk.

"Hey, Jane" Mike fidgeted with his hands. "What's the-uh-up? What's up?"

"So, some kids around here say that you're good at math, and um-" Jane played with the string of her bag, not making eye contact with Mike. "I was wondering, if you'd like to help me with my math homework? I mean, if it's too much to ask-"

"-No I would love to help you" Mike mused.

Jane's eyes moved swifty from her bag to Mike. "Great!" she beamed with a smile. "Do you mind if we go to your house? Mine, is well-" Jane's smile turned into a frown. She broke eye contact and stared at her shoe.

Mike doesn't want to see Jane upset. He can tell she's not very comfortable talking about her home. "Yeah, don't worry, it's fine. Can you come after school? We can walk to my house-uh, well, together, if that's alright with, you know, with you?" Mike stuttered over his words.

Jane's smile bloomed with emotion. "Thanks Mike, see you around" she left with a little wave. Mike watched her as she ran off back to her table, still wearing his smile.

"Damn Mike, I've never seen you get so tongue tied over a girl" Dustin smirked. Mike rolled his eyes at his friend. "It's nothing. I'm just helping her with homework"

"BUT it's the first girl to look at you without thinking you're gross!" Will exclaimed. "This could be your chance to get a girlfriend"

"Either way" Mike said. He looked over to the table, where Jane was giggling along with her friends. She was really pretty. "I wouldn't have much of a chance"


	2. Someone To Stay

Chapter 2: Someone To Stay

Mike was nervous. He had never invited a girl to his house, and she actually agreed!

 _Alright calm down, it's just homework, not a date!_ Mike's thoughts spoke. Mike didn't really understand why he was nervous, he didn't have a crush on her, or at least he thought he didn't. Maybe he had just found her cute, or really nice that she made his heart beat faster when he's around her.

"What do you think Mike?" Dustin asked. Mike didn't hear any of Dustin's rambling. It took Mike only a second to realize he was talking to him.

"Oh, yea! It was great! Totally" Mike agreed with a fake excitement.

Dustin gave Mike a dirty look. "You weren't listening, were you?"

Mike shook his head.

"He was probably thinking about that girl, Jane" Will exclaimed. Mike's cheeks flushed with red.

Dustin put on a little smirk. "She's coming over to his house. Tell me every detail Mike"

Mike's cheeks blushed deeper. "Oh my god it's nothing serious I'm only helping her with homework"

"She probably likes you" Will said.

"No we literally just met. There's no way. Plus, I'm a freak" Mike addressed.

"Are you nervous?" Dustin asked.

Mike stared at the ground. "I know it's nothing special but, yeah, I am actually"

"Awe you like her!" Dustin teased.

Mike's cheeks continued to blush a deeper shade of red. "No I don't! I barley even know her how can I like her?!"

"Maybe 'cause you're blushing" Dustin mentioned.

"Don't even, Dustin" Mike hissed.

Mike was suppose to pick Jane afterschool to his house. He was waiting for the bell to ring. It was currently their free period, and they were spending it at the library, talking about their next campaign, but Mike's thoughts filled with Jane he couldn't pick up anything his friends had discussed. Luckily for him, both Dustin and Will have free period at the same time.

The bell rang with a loud sound ushering for school to be over. Mike grabbed his books and shoved them down his bag. He swung his bag over his shoulder and left with his friends. Mike asked Jane to meet him under the bleachers after school so they can go to his house. Mike made his way to bleachers with his friends. He looked around nervously waiting for her. No signs of Jane yet. He was wondering if she might have forgotten, or maybe it was a sick prank her friends have set them up for. His hands started to clam up, so he gripped the straps of his bag even tighter as he waited for her.

"Woah Mike calm down there" Dustin said, noticing how much pressure Mike was applying to the straps. "She'll come soon, don't worry"

It has been 5 minutes and she still hasn't showed up. Mike was starting to worry she might not come at all. He was glad his friends were her with him to keep him in company. His friends knew about his anxiety, and he might panic at times when things don't go to plan, and this might be one of those situations.

10 minutes and no sign of the beautiful girl.

"Maybe we should go" Will gestured.

"No, we can't. I don't want to ditch her" Mike exclaimed,

"What if she doesn't show up?" Will asked.

"She has to" Mike answered.

"Mike, man, you can text her when you get back" Dustin said, placing a supporting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Alright" Mikee gulped. He gave the school door's one last glance, before turning around to leave.

"Mike!"

Mike had instantly turned around when he heard the girl's soft voice. His face beamed with relief that she showed up. He really thought a pretty girl like her would ditch him.

Jane sprinted the few last metres until she had reached Mike. She placed her hands on her thighs, huffing. She got up and looked at the boy "I'm really sorry I'm late, I got…, well…, I was kind of dealing with somethin-a situation! Yeah. Thanks for waiting" Jane extended out her arms and rapped them around Mike's neck and embraced him into a hug. Mike's eyes widened at her action and he chose to embrace her back by placing his arms around her waist. He turned around to his friends, catching them smirking. He ushered for them to leave, and so they did, biking off to their homes. Jane pulled back, but still kept her arms around his neck. She gave him a wide eyed smile that nearly made Mike melt right there. He returned the gesture and gazed into her beautiful brown eyes. He also noticed other features about her face. Like how her dimples would form whenever she smiled and the beautiful small freckles under her eyes. Mike noticed that he still had his arms around her waist, and she still had her arms around his neck, and they've been there for far longer than what it typically would have been normal. Jane noticed too. She let go of his soft skin and blushed. She tried to look away, making sure Mike doesn't notice how red her cheeks were. Mike was the first to break the silence.

"Alright, so, do you want to go now?" He asked.

"Yes please" She replied.

The pair made their way to Mike's bike, which was still placed on the rack. He took it out and walked it towards the road. He gestured for Jane to hop on in the seat behind him. Jane sat down on the leather seat, and watched Mike as he sat in the seat in front of her. She placed her feet on the adjusting barrels. Mike placed his hands on the handle bars. He turned around to look at Jane. "Ready?"

"Ready" she replied with. As he placed his other foot on the paddle and took off, Jane wrapped her arms around his torso and placed her head on his shoulder. From an outsider's point of view, they could have been a couple. Mike's faced beamed with red. He was glad she couldn't see how hard he was blushing at her action. There was a girl, who is riding with him on his bike, and has her arm around his torso. This made Mike's stomach twist and turn with butterflies. This made him even more nervous but he was enjoying it. The beautiful autumn wind brushed passed them and through their hair. As the way slowly became shorter, they have arrived at Mike's house. He hit the breaks and planted down his bike near his garage. Jane lifted her head off his shoulder and unwrapped her arms. Even though she had her arms around him for 10 minutes, he now misses it. He's never really been embraced by a girl, other than his mom, and the feeling made him feel pretty happy. It was very unfamiliar, but welcoming. The duo got off the bike and planted their feet at the ground. Jane gazed at his house, like she's never seen one before. _Wow, it's so huge_. She thought. No one at school really knew what she went through, and about what she's capable of, not even her really close friends. As Mike put his bike inside the garage, he made his way to Jane. He noticed the way she looked up at his home. "It's not much, but it's home" he mentioned, interrupting her thoughts. She looked towards him locking eyes with him. She started to notice how beautiful his freckles really were. She could just sit there and count all of them, she wouldn't mind.

Mike started walking up the doorsteps, making sure Jane was behind him. He opened his front door and allowed the girl to step in and admire his home. She examined everything with detail. From the amount of rooms the first floor had to the family portraits near the fireplace, it was amazing. You could smell the smell of fresh italian pizza from the front door.

"Mom! You there?" Mike yelled as he closed the door behind him.

"Yes sweetie I'm in the kitchen" Karen Wheeler responded.

"I brought a little friend here. We're working on homework" Mike mentioned.

"Who is it? IS it Will?" Karen asked.

"No mom, it's uh, a girl" Mike blushed. "Her name is Jane"

"Awe sweetie is she your girlfriend?" Karen teased.

"What? No!-Mom!" Mike commented. "We'll be upstairs in my room, alright?"

"Alright sweetie, but keep the door open" His mom assured.

"Mom!" Mike spit with embarrassment. Jane blushed and giggled.

Mike and Jane made their way up the stairs. Jane noticed that there were other rooms upstairs. She's never been in a house like this. All her friends lived in an apartment, and her home, well, it was different. It didn't have a second floor. She noticed a door decorated with pink flowers. It wrote "Holly" In cursive. There was also another door across the hall from it. It was rather larger and plainly white. Jane guessed it was where Mike's parents rested. There was another door attached to the wall beside the room, and the door was open. She took a small look in there, noticing it was their bathroom. As they walked further down the hall, Mike opened the door to a room across the bathroom, which is claimed to be his room.

"So this is my room. I haven't redecorated in a long time" Mike admitted. Jane gazed into his room. She noticed he had a lot of cool walls were coloured blue, and there was his bed in the corner of the room, with dark blue bed sheets with stripe prints. Beside it there was a bed stand, with a lamp, a rubix cube, and a walkie talkie which she took interest in. Right across from there was a wardrobe, with a table where he had a bunch of science trophies. She walked over to take a closer look at them. Jane noticed that he got first it almost every year. "Wow" Jane exclaimed. "I'm guessing you're really smart"

Mike rubbed his neck with his hand. "I mean, I guess… But it's not just me. Those science trophies I won with my friends. We got first in pretty much every year, except grade 6, we got third, but it was a pretty good shot"

Jane really loved his room. She thought it was unique, not like hers at all. She had also took notice in the star wars figures on the table too. Jane giggled at the sight of them. It only took Mike a few seconds to realize why she was giggling. "Oh!" Mike exclaimed. "Yeah, well, those are my star wars figures, I use to collect them when i was younger and they kind of mean a lot to me" He looked at the ground shyly.

"I like them" Jane bubbled as she reached out to touch the Yoda.

Mike looked up from the ground and to her. "You do?"

Jane nodded. Mike never expected her to like Star Wars. He thought she could have judged him for being a nerd and not "hang out" with him anymore. "So should we start on the math?"

"Mhm" Jane mumbled.

The two worked on the math for a few hours. Mike really was falling for Jane. Whenever she looked down at her paper to write or solve an equation, he would notice something new about her, like how perfectly her hair was curled, or how her lips were coloured a beautiful shade of rose pink.

Jane had noticed many features about Mike, like how his eyes sparkled when he looked at her, or how he tends to rub the back of his neck a lot. She was interested in Mike, he seemed like a pretty good guy.

"Oh my god! Would you look at the time!" Jane Gasped. "It's 8 pm. I really have to be heading home" Jane swept her homework off Mike's desk and neatly placed it inside her folder. She placed the folder in her bag and swung it over her shoulder. "Thanks a lot, really"

"Oh! Uh, no problem" Mike flustered. "Want me to, I don't know, maybe… Walk you home?" He offered.

"Oh, well, if you want, thank you. You really are amazing. But it's kind of a long walk" Jane said. "Oh no problem, we'll just bike there" Mike gestured. Mike was the sweetest boy she's ever talked to, and he's much different than all the other boys she's seen, or met by so far.

The pair hopped on to the bike outside. Jane did the same thing; she wrapped her arms around his torso and placed her head on his shoulder. The same deja vu feeling struck Mike during the evening breeze. Jane watched Mike as he peddled. She was counting his freckles on the way. Without realizing herself, Jane planted a 5 second kiss on Mike's cheek. Mike's eyes beamed wider and his cheeks automatically changed to a tone of red as Jane rested her head back on his shoulder. For the first time in a while, she was really happy.


	3. Distance

Chapter 3: Distance

It's been 2 weeks since Jane came over to Mike's house for homework. They haven't really been talking lately. As their eyes lock in the hallways, they share quick smiles with each other, maybe ask how everything is when it's appropriate, but they haven't really been speaking full conversations to each other. This deeply was killing Jane. Jane has met Mike before, they've been in the same chemistry class in Middle School, but Mike never really noticed her. She was different back then, wore her hair in pigtails and had the weirdest outfit on. She never really wore shorts or skirts, unlike now.

 **4 years flashback:**

Jane looked at herself in the mirror, ready to attend chemistry. Chemistry was not one of her favourite subjects, but Mike attended the same class as her, and he really liked it. She fixed her ponytails and smoothed out her baby blue jumper and headed for class. She made it just in time. She walked into class and quickly noticed Mike. He was sitting by the window, as usual, and had his head turned towards the back, talking to one of his friends. Jane never quite caught his name, Bill, Phil, or Will, was it? Jane never really bothered to find out, since she was only interested in Mike. Unfortunately, the only available seat was far from Mike, near the back. She took the seat, taking out her notes for chemistry. She glanced up at the boy very often. He was really cute, and she wanted to talk to him, but she was nervous.

The next day, Jane was getting ready for third period at her locker. She was grabbing her books until she noticed Mike walking in her direction. She nervously fixed her hair, and anxiously waited for him. By the time he was near her locker, her soft voice spoke.

"Hey Mike-"

But he walked right past her. The feelings sunk down inside of her and she turned back to her locker and gazed over to Mike, who was already at the end of the hallway, talking to his friends. Maybe she didn't step up closer to him where he'd notice her, or maybe she should have spoke louder? All these questions zoomed in her head, then were interrupted by the sound of the large bell.

 **Present Day:**

Jane was sitting in Math class, anxiously waiting for the class to end. She was currently thinking about her past with Mike, and the kiss on the cheek. She was so into her feelings that day, actually happy that after 4 years, he noticed her, that she wanted to kiss him, and had done in. Was it a mistake? Jane kept thinking of the negatives, and how she probably ruined the short friendship. She liked having Mike as a friend, and she always wanted to be more. Maybe he liked her too? No, he probably never thought of her that way, or at all. Jane has caught herself during class doodling things on her textbook, such as "Jane Wheeler". She tried different ways of seeing how her name and his last name would fit. Could "Jane Hopper-Wheeler" work? How about "El Wheeler"? No one really knew about her past, or where El came from, only her adoptive father, Hopper. She doodled a heart beside her name with Mike's, and drew a huge heart in the middle of her page, writing in beautiful cursive writing "J+M". She smiled at her doodle, and imagined all the dates and possibilities if her and Mike ever really get into a relationship. The bell rang, snapping her out of her daydreams, remembering that it would probably never happen anyway. Jane swiftly closed her textbook with all her doodles, hoping no one caught a glimpse of it. She was very secretive about her feelings, and she was very surprised it's been 4 years and she still held on to her feelings for him. She did, hope he had feelings for her, but deep down she knew, or thought, he didn't.

It was currently lunchtime, and after getting her food tray, she made her way over to the table that filled with her friends. She heard a group of giggling coming from her friends.

"Hey" Jane greeted as she took her seat across from her redhead friend, Max. "What are we all giggling about?"

"Oh nothing" Max giggled. "Just-boys" Max nervously looked down at her food tray.

"Boys?!" Jane exclaimed. "Is it a crush? Oh Max tell me!" Jane reached over for her friend's hand.

"It's not about me, or anyone of us. It's just" Max cut off. "Jennifer Hayes wants to ask out Mike Wheeler to the winter dance" Max announced.

Jane's heart dropped. Jennifer Hayes? The most popular, and not to mention, beautiful, girl in the school? Asking Mike, her Mike, out? Jane couldn't believe it. Jane was considering asking him to the dance, but she has no chance against Jennifer. Jennifer was much prettier, smarter, popular, and skinner than Jane, and Mike would definitely not hesitate to say yes to Jennifer. Jane felt very uncomfortable about the topic now, but she kept her smile up high, but fake. She nervously fidgeted with the spoon as she tried to eat her mashed potatoes.

Annie, Jane and Max's other friend, noticed how upset Jane looked, even with her smile on. "Jane, you alright?" Annie asked concerned. The blond placed a comforting hand Jane's shoulder.

Jane faked a happy look. "Me?! I'm fine! I just, didn't think Jenn was interested in anyone like Mike Wheeler" Jane lied. It was bothering her, deeply. The boy she has been waiting for, for 4 years might be swept away from her now.

"Yeah, can you believe that? The most popular girl in school, with a little nerd?" Max reassured.

Jane looked up towards her friend. "Hey, don't call him that!" Jane snapped.

"Woah there Jane" Max put her arms up in surrender. "It's not like you have a crush on him or anything"

Jane was too busy staring at Mike from across the room to listen to Max. Mike started to laugh at something one of his friends said. That smile could brighten up the room. His beautiful laugh she's heard many times was just pure music to her ears.

Max beamed at the brunette in shock. "Oh my god, you do!" Max exclaimed. Annie gasped.

Jane broke her gaze away when she and Mike locked eyes from across the room. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Did you see that?" Max called out to Annie. Annie nodded, knowing they both had the same thought. Jane was completely clueless. "What?"

"You weren't even paying attention to what I was asking you BECAUSE you were busy staring at the lover boy" Max teased.

"What? Me?! No, I wasn't staring anywhere" Jane hissed. Blush crept onto her cheeks as she looked down at her food.

"Yeah, you were. You like Mike, don't you?" Annie smirked.

Jane kept quite as her blush deepened. She has never told a friend about any of her previous crushes. She was scared they would expose her feelings sometime.

"Hey" Max leaned across the table to hold Jane's hand. "It's alright if you do. We're not mad, we just want to know the truth"

Jane exchanged looks with Annie, and after a little while, she nodded. Annie and Max exclaimed, gushing over how madly in love their friend was. Jane was still upset on the fact that Jennifer was asking Mike out to the dance.

"Hey, you sure you're alright with the whole Jennifer thing?" Max asked in concern. Jane shrugged her shoulders. "I've liked him since middle school, and I've always wanted him to notice me, but he hasn't until this year, and this month has been the happiest I've ever been with him, and just, the visual of losing him to someone prettier, popular, and skinnier than me just makes me-" Annie decided to cut Jane off, as she noticed the tears forming in her eyes. "Hey, no Jane! Don't be upset! I'm sure if you ask him before Jenn does he'll say yes" Annie advised.

"I don't know, Annie" Jane replied. "What if he changes his mind after Jenn asks him and decides to ditch me for her? I know many would do that"

"Yes, But Mike isn't like Many, is he?| Max comforted. Jane shook her head. "Besides, if it makes you any happier, the fact that Jenn is planning to ask him to the dance was not what we were fangirling about" Max giggled at Annie. Jane looked up towards her two friends in shock. "It wasn't?" Jane asked. Both girls shook their heads. "Then, what was it?"

"Maybe the fact that lover boy couldn't keep his eyes off of you during English class" Annie snickered.

Jane's eyes beamed with excitement. "Really?" She asked hoping it wasn't a joke. When her friends nodded, her smile grew.

"Aww, look Annie, she's blushing again!" Max pointed out.

Annie and Max giggled together as Jane continued to ask her friends to stop teasing her, but deep down she enjoyed this attention about her feelings.

"Trust me Jane, he was making it so obvious that he was in love with you. He was literally looking at you like this" Max put her elbows on the table and placed her chin into her made heart eyes and looked at Jane dreamily, imitating how, her friends claim, Mike was staring at her. This made Jane really happy that there could be a chance that Mike liked her. All the giggles broke into laughter, but Max was the first to break the giggling. "Look! He's looking at you right now!" Max pointed out. Jane couldn't help but look to Mike's direction. He was indeed gazing at her, and returned it with a shy smile. He gestured the smile back at her, and blushed, realizing she noticed him staring. Jane started blushing too.

"Max they are both blushing oh my god!" Annie gasped.

"Aww it's a match made in heaven! I can't, they are so in love and they don't even realize it" Max teased.

"Jane, it's a Sadie Hawkins dance, so you better ask soon" Annie gestured towards Mike's table.

Jane, for the first time in a while, felt pretty comfortable with people that weren't her dad. She did enjoy all the teasing, it made her feel more happy, and she loved the connection she had with her friends, and she hoped they can continue on building this friendship. Her friends made her feel confident about her feelings for Mike, and asking him to the dance. She was nervously thinking on how to ask him. She had a month, or maybe a few days before Jenn asks him.


	4. Parallel

Chapter 4: Parallel

Mike's fingers trembled in fear and anxiety as he picked up the phone. He was having second thoughts about this idea.

"No, this is stupid, stop right now" Mike's thoughts roared in rejection.

Mike wanted to go for a little walk with Jane, not as a date, really, maybe just as friends. Mike wishes it was a date, but he was too afraid to take their friendship that far. He's always had a fear of rejection, but never really considered it. With Jane, it was different. He has talked to girls before, but they never gave him the feeling Jane did. Jane made Mike feel happy, and he always noticed her when she walked inside a room pretty quickly. It makes him nervous, and he's not quite sure why. She was pretty, not, beautiful, and he looked at her like she was the only girl in the room. He has caught himself staring at her for longer than what seems to be normal. Mike always thought he was Aromantic, considering he was never interested in girls, and they didn't make him feel anything that is considered a crush,but, maybe that's about to change.

Mike was fighting his anxiety. "Should I do it? Will she think I'm weird?" Mike's thoughts spoke. He has never been more nervous about calling a friend. Finally, Mike decided to dial the phone number. He rested his elbows against the kitchen counter, as he unstably twirled the phone cord around his fingers. He constantly sat there with his thoughts, until they were interrupted by an unfamiliar female voice.

"Ugh, hello???" The voice spoke. She already sounded rude and annoying by the tone.

"Hey, sorry to disturb you, but is Jane there?" Mike asked.

"Jane has friends??? What a surprise. I never thought that bitc-" Just as Mike's blood was starting to boil, the voice was cut off by a rather more masculine male voice in the background.

"KAT! DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY DAUGHTER LIKE THAT" The male voice growled. Then, the male voice picked up the phone and simply tried to reason with Mike.

"Hey sorry, this is Jim Hopper, and my current wife is still trying to get along with Jane. Anyway, who is this?" Hopper's voice was much more calmer and Mike felt more safe talking to him.

"It's Mike, Michael Wheeler" Mike Put in.

"Ahh Mike. I went to high school with your mother, Karen" Hopper stated. "Anyway, what do you need with Jane?"

Mike was starting to feel anxious again. It may be easier to ask Jane to go for a walk with him rather more than talking to her father about it. He wrapped the phone cord around his fingers once more as he spoke.

"Well, I was thinking, I don't know-, it's kind of stup- you know what chief, sorry to waste your time, it's alright" Mike started to feel his cheeks going red, as Mike was going to shut the phone, the chief's voice was heard again from the phone.

"No, wait! I'll get her here to speak with you" Mike paused a little when he heard what Hopper had said. He put the phone back up beside his ear and spoke.

"Thanks chief" Mike put on a little smile. He could here the chief calling his daughter to the phone, and Jane's soft voice approaching. He was starting to feel nervous again.

"Hey, who is this?" Jane's soft voice sniffed. It sounded like she was recently crying. The thought if the tears streaming down her face just breaks his heart.

"Hey Jane, It's Mike"

Jane let out a little gasp. She quietly hoped Mike didn't hear it. "Hey Mike" She spoke shyly. "What's the matter?" Jane rolled over her bed, feeling very excited that Mike had called.

"I was just thinking, I don't know, I mean-if you want, to maybe go for a walk in the park? Just us? I mean, It's fine if you don't want to, I just-" Mike was starting to ramble. Jane loves his rambling, she always found it cute, the way he's getting nervous talking other. Was he asking her on a date? Or just a hangout? Either way, she didn't dare ask incase it ruins their friendship, and she really wanted some alone time with him, so this was a great chance for it.

"Mike, I'd love to" Jane confessed. Mike literally felt his heart stop for a second. She actually agreed? He could feel the blush creeping on his cheek as he put on a wide smile, quietly thanking himself for not giving up, and the chief too. "What time are you free today?" He asked hopefully.

Jane looked towards her digital clock. It was currently 3:52 pm. "Pick me up at 5?"

"Sounds good to me. See you there" Mike assured.

"Yeah, see you Mike" Jane bit her lip and closed the phone. She looked up at her ceiling and let out a little fangirl scream. She couldn't wait for her sort-of-date with Mike. She had a little more than an hour to shower, get dressed, and do her hair and maybe makeup. She was nervous and excited, even though it's not really a date. She decided she might need some help. Jane picked up the phone and dialed Max's phone number.

"Please pick up"

Not so long afterwards, the familiar voice of Jane's friend picked up.

"Hello?" Max called out.

Jane was relieved. "Max! I need your help right now! No questions! Come over right now!"

"Bu-" Max was starting to speak, but was interrupted by how stubborn Jane was.

"NO QUESTIONS!"

Jane had time to shower, so she did, making sure the water was warm. She was very excited for the little hangout with Mike. She has always imagined it, but in different scenarios. Jane got out of her shower, trying not to wet the floor as she got out and split on a baggy pyjama sweater that covered up to her knees, so she really didn't need any pants. She pot on some socks to feel a little more cozy, even though it was only the beginning of October. After 5 minutes, there was the sound of the doorbell. This was the longest 5 minutes of Jane's life. Jane rushed to the door, sliding down the railing instead of taking the stairs. Her father, Jim Hopper, just left with his new wife, who is now Jane's stepmother, Veronica Swift. Veronica didn't like Jane. She thought that Hopper cared too much about Jane he didn't have time for her. This annoys Veronica by a lot so she tries to seperate Jane and Hopper as much as possible. But little does Veronica know that Hopper is pretty much all Jane had, besides Max, Annie and Mike.

Jane opened the door for her best friend, welcoming her with a hug. Max closed the door behind her and put her hands up in surrender.

"What's the emergency?" Max impatiently asked.

Jane looked down and bit her bottom lip,which seemed to be a habit she did when she was nervous. "Well, Mike just called me-"

"hE WHAT???" Max exclaimed. A grin planted on her face. "TELL ME EVERYTHING!" Max dragged Jane to the nearest couch in her cozy home. They both sat crossed legged on the couch as Jane told her about the phone call, with many giggles and gasps coming from the girls.

"Ahh oh my god! He was so asking you out on a date!" Max bawled. "He probably was just so nervous he called it a "walk in the park""

Jane anxiously bit her lip and blushed. "I don't know… But! I need your help picking my outfit" Jane assured.

"Ahh you're in love with this nerd" Max nudged.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"You probably have a crush on that Dustin kid" Jane snapped.

Max started to blush darker than her own hair colour. "No I don't!"

"Yes you do!"

The girls constantly teased each other up the way to Jane's room. When they got there, they tumbled on the fluffy pink carpet and hysterically continued laughing until their faces were so red. The girls intertwined hands, enjoying each other's company. Jane let go of Max's hand and pushed herself off the carpet. She walked over towards her closet and opened the mirror door. "Okay, so I have a lot of outfits to choose from. But I don't know what Mike would like" Jane bit down on her nails. She pulled out a cozy grey jumper with beautiful patterns, some faded white jeans, and black ankle boots. "I could go with warm and cozy" She gave Max a concerned look. Max mirrored her facial expression. "No, too cozy. It's cute, but not cute enough for this October weather"

Jane returned the outfit. "Oh, how about this one" Jane then pulled out a coral pink laced up top and a short bronze skirt with some white crossed sandals. Max gazed at the outfit with horror. "I really can't believe Hopper let you buy those. That's too sexy, maybe save it for when you want to lose your virginity" Max smirked.

"Ugh Max you're disgusting!" Jane groaned. She swiftly placed the outfit back and sighted. She really wasn't sure what to wear. Max was playing with the strings of the fluffy carpet. She looked over towards Jane's closet and spotted the perfect combination of outfits. Her eyes grew and she grinned. "Oh my god, Jane!" Max exclaimed. She jumped up on her feet and rushed over towards the closet. Max pulled out a white crop top with swirl printing, a denim faded blue overall dress that probably reached a little over her knees, and some black converse. "This, is perfect. Try it" Max shoved the items into Jane's hands. (A/N: If you want to see the outfit I'm sort of talking about, copy and paste the following link: /entry/218679393?context_page=3context_query=overallsshortcontext_type=search ). Jane left for the washroom to try on the little outfit. After 2 impatient minutes, Jane stepped out of the washroom and headed over to her room. When Jane arrived, Max looked up from the bed and to the doorway. She crept a wide grin.

"Oh my god, Jane" Max exclaimed as she walked over to Jane. "Mike Wheeler, get ready to be damned" She smirked.

Jane put on a smile while she blushed. "Do you really think he'll like this?" She lifted up her arms and looked at herself in the mirror. She turned around to see if everything looked okay.

"Are you out of your mind?! Of course he will, Jane. It's you" Max complimented.

Jane smiled even wider. The doorbell rang and Jane smiled drop and replaced with a nervous look. She looked over to the clock, it was 5 o'clock. "I think that's Mike"

The girls made their way downstairs.

"Ah, Jane, have fun on your date" Max smirked.

"It's not a date" Jane confirmed.

"You better tell HIM that" Max pointed out from the living room window, where Mike was awaiting, wearing black jeans, a bronze coloured hoodie ((https/www.google.ca/search?safe=strictrlz=1C1CHBF_enCA704CA704biw=1366bih=662tbm=ischsa=1ei=lGaDWrybFsWkjwTeh4n4Dwq=finnwolfhardoq=finnwolfhardgs_l=psy-ab.3..0j0i67k1j0l8.5924.6451.0.6582.2.2.0.0.0.0.114.225.0j2.2.0...0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.2.223...0.yxKtUmmGWd8#imgrc=rV3qBUe12EPZrM:), and a pair of black timberlands. His hair was in messy curls, the way Jane liked it, and he was holding a bouquet of white lilies. Coincidence or not, white lilies were Jane's favourite type of flowers. Her heart warmed to the thought of how well he knew her. Jane went over to grab her jacket before she was interrupted by max.

"No Jane" Max rested a hand at her shoulder.

"What? It's a bit chilly" Jane said.

"Are you really this oblivious? He is wearing a hoodie" Max grinned.

Jane looked at her confused. "So?"

Max facepalmed her head. How does not Jane know about female's oblivious schemes? "So, later, you can confess you're cold and he'll give you his hoodie" Max raised her eyebrows.

Jane's face lit up with a grin as she took in her friend's plan. She put her jacket away and took a deep breath before she opened the door. There he was, the boy she spent most her time thinking about, stood. His jaw dropped at the sight of her. "Wow" Mike stutered. "You look beautiful"

Jane looked at her shoes as she blushed. "Are those for me?"

Mike looked at the bouquet of flowers he realized he was still holding. "Uh Yes" He blushed and handed the flowers to her. Jane beamed with as she looked at him with heart eyes. "I didn't know if I should get them or not" Mike rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, a habit he had when he was nervous.

"They're beautiful" she confessed.

"Like you" Mike wished he could just take those words back. He said them without realizing. Jane looked up and beamed at him.

"ugh , are you two going to stay her and look at each other with heart eyes? Might as well make out while you're at it" Max rolled her eyes as she left the house. Jane and Mike blushed. "Ready?" He asked Jane. Jane nodded as she closed the door behind her and locked it with her keys. She took the beautiful flowers with her, it reminds her of her real mother, Terry, and now, it reminds her of Mike.

The walk to the park was an awkward silence, which really annoyed Jane. She wanted to spend this time getting to know Mike better. The silence was really starting to irritate her, so she decided to break the silence first.

"So" She started off. "How have you been"

Well that was lame.

Mike looked over to her. Oh how he loved her beautiful features. That smile, that damn, beautiful smile. "I've been alright, living without my father has been a little hard. Even though he annoyed me, I kinda miss him, like a piece of me is gone" Mike confessed.

Jane turned her head to look at Mike. The poor boy that is broken deep down under that perfect smile and curly hair. At that moment, she did what she thought was right, and pulled him into an embrace. "I'm sorry" she muttered.

Mike immediately hugged her back, resting his chin on her head. "It's not your fault, don't worry. Stuff like this happen, but you make me feel whole again" He implied.

Jane looked up towards him and smiled. She hadn't known that, and sure it made her happy. She broke the embrace as they continued walking through the path. Jane felt the chilly wind against her arms. She placed her hands on her arms to create warmth. Mike noticed that she was cold, and wondered why she didn't bring a jacket. He decided to do something about it. He didn't want to see Jane suffering from the cold.

"Do you want to borrow my hoodie?" Mike asked shyly, fiddling with the straps of the hoodie.

Jane looked up to meet his eyes. She noticed how he really cared about her.

"I mean, if it's alright with you"

"Yes it is alright" Mike said trying not to sound desperate. They both shared a smile and Mike took off his hoodie, a little bit of the long sleeved striped shirt pulling up with it too, revealing his abdominal. Jane shyly looked away from the scene in front of her, and was interrupted by Mike handing over his hoodie to her. He was so sweet.

Jane took the hoodie from his hands and placed it on her figure, the hoodie being a little oversized, but it was a cute look.

"It looks better on you anyways" Mike chuckled, watching Jane's cheeks turn red. Mike was walking Jane home, both their fingers lightly brushing against each other. Jane couldn't wait any longer, considering how shy Mike really is, so she intertwined her fingers with his. He mirrored her movements, lacing his fingers with hers too.

The slow silence was interrupted by Mike. "Well I guess we're here" He said, gazing at her house. Jane, lost in her mind, looked up to realize that she was home, even though Mike was home too. "Yes, we are" Jane responded while they walked over to her porch. They awkwardly stood there, waiting for goodbyes. "Goodbye, Mike" Jane whispered shyly. As she fiddled with her keys.

"See you tomorrow" Mike proclaimed as he made his way home. Jane stood outside her door in the silence, thinking of what to do next. She came to a realization and ran after Mike.

"Wait, Mike!" She yelled out. Mike looked back to see Jane running towards him. She came up to him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight" She ran away to her house. Mike stood there looking dumbfound as he cupped the cheek she kissed him on.

While as Jane ran into her house and closed the door, sliding down to the ground, hand on her chest. She realized she was still wearing his hoodie. Oh well, he's never getting it back. She went up to her room and plopped down on her bed. That night, for the first time in a while, she slept well, with Mike's hoodie still on.


End file.
